5
              o
                           T>

  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

     Fort  Edward,  NY


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed
into law the Small Business  Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the
Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The Town of Fort Edward was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in eastern New
York along the Hudson River, Fort Edward (population
5,892) was one of the largest cities in colonial
America. Industry moved into the town in the 19th and
20th Centuries to take advantage of the its location on
the Hudson River, which was used to generate power
and dispose of waste. Today, most of these industries
have closed, leaving large tracts of abandoned or
underutilized land. Many of the larger sites block
access to the river, thereby thwarting attempts to bring
recreational amenities to the community. There are
also smaller brownfields, such as laundries and service
stations, scattered throughout the residential neighbor-
hoods of the town. Between  1990 and 2000, manufac-
turing employment in the town dropped by 50 percent
  Assessment Grant
  $200,000 for petroleum

  EPA has selected the Town of Fort Edward for a
  brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
  funds will be used to conduct community out-
  reach, inventory sites outside of the New York
  State Opportunity area, perform up to eight Phase
  I and three Phase II environmental site assess-
  ments, and develop cleanup plans for sites around
  the town.
  Contacts
  For further information, including specific grant
  contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
  news and events, and publications and links, visit
  the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
  brownfields.

  EPA Region 2 Brownfields Team
  212-637-4314
  http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/
  brownfields/

  Grant Recipient: Town of Fort Edward, NY
  518-747-6563

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
and the town lost six percent of its population. Assess-
ment and eventual cleanup of the town's brownfields
will help eliminate the eyesores that have impacted the
community's ability to attract investment to the area.
The town plans to develop the larger abandoned sites
along the river to include residential and commercial
facilities and recreational greenspace.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                          EPA 560-F-06-040
                          May 2006
                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

-------